Billing Gateway TCP ACK Forwarding for Throughput
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In networking, when a packet is lost between a client and a server, the billing gateway queues subsequent packets, leading to increased network traffic due to retransmissions and potential connection closures, as the server waits for acknowledgments (ACKs) that are not sent, causing inefficiencies and throughput slowdowns.
Innovation Solution
A method where the billing gateway generates and sends an ACK packet for previously sent packets, even if one packet is lost, to inform the server that the packets were received by the client, preventing unnecessary retransmissions and allowing the server to continue data transmission without queuing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the billing gateway queues packets when one packet is lost, then packet parsing accuracy is improved, but network throughput deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet handling process into two independent paths: (1) queuing packets that require parsing for billing purposes, and (2) forwarding ACK packets immediately to the server. This segmentation allows the system to maintain parsing accuracy for data packets while preventing ACK packets from being blocked, thereby resolving the throughput issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism that distinguishes between different packet types (data packets requiring parsing vs. ACK packets for acknowledgment). The billing gateway acts as an intermediary that can identify ACK packets and forward them separately from the queuing process, allowing the server to receive timely acknowledgments without compromising the parsing accuracy of data packets.
2Manufacturing precision
If the billing gateway queues subsequent packets when a packet is lost, then billing accuracy is improved, but network traffic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments packet handling by identifying ACK packets separately from data packets. ACK packets are forwarded immediately without queuing, while only data packets requiring billing parsing are queued. This segmentation prevents unnecessary retransmissions of already-acknowledged packets, reducing overall network traffic while maintaining billing accuracy for parsed packets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by forwarding ACK packets to the server before the queuing process completes. This preliminary forwarding prevents the server from initiating retransmissions due to perceived packet loss, thereby reducing the quantity of retransmitted traffic while ensuring that billing-parsing packets are still processed accurately when they arrive.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the billing gateway waits for lost packets before forwarding, then packet sequence integrity is improved, but connection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet forwarding process into two streams: (1) data packets are queued to maintain sequence integrity for billing parsing, and (2) ACK packets are forwarded immediately to maintain connection reliability. This segmentation allows the system to preserve packet sequence integrity where needed while preventing connection failures through timely ACK delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The billing gateway acts as an intermediary that mediates between the requirement for sequence integrity and connection reliability. By identifying and separately handling ACK packets, the gateway ensures that connection-maintaining packets are forwarded promptly while data packets requiring parsing are queued, thus maintaining both sequence integrity and connection reliability simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method for providing an ACK packet while queuing data is provided. One or more packets in a series of packets may be received from a client at a gateway. The gateway determines that a packet in the series of packets has not been received. The one or more packets are then queued. The queued packets may have included an ACK for one or more previously sent packets. Thus, if the gateway had forwarded the one or more packets that are queued, then the ACK would have been received by the server. However, the one or more packets are queued and thus the ACK included in the packets is not sent with the queued packets. Even though the plurality of packets are queued, an acknowledgement packet is generated and then sent for the previously sent packets. The acknowledgement packet acknowledges to the server that the one or more previously sent packets were received by the client. The server may then continue transmitting packets to the client and knows it does not need to retransmit the one or more previously sent packets.